Angus stalker avoids jail

A jealous stalker who “controlled” and “monitored” his ex-partner even after they had broken up - before violently attacking her new boyfriend - today (Tuesday, April 18) avoided a jail term.

Brian Milne carried out a campaign of harassment against the woman and her new partner after she left him.

Milne - who has six previous convictions for offences committed against his ex - would loiter outside her home and wait for her new man to come home before hurling threats at him and even assaulting him.

He would also leave sinister voicemails and sent a series of threatening text messages stating he would violently attack the couple.

Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court that, following an 18-month campaign of harassment, Milne was finally reported to police over an incident that left his ex “shaking with fear”.

She said: “On May 20 last year the accused attended in her garden.

“When challenged he shouted ‘I’m going to do you in’.

“He had earlier attended at her new partner’s home and repeatedly banged the door shouting ‘I’ll get you’.

“The woman was descried as being ‘shaking with fear’.

“It was ultimately this incident that caused his behaviour to be reported to police.

“He was detained on the stalking offence and admitted sending texts and voicemails that were threatening over the period of a few months.

“Her phone was analysed and a large number of texts were found which in general criticised her parenting skills and made derogatory comments to the couple, threatening them with violence.

“This made her feel he was controlling her life and she felt he was unstable enough to carry out the threats.”

Milne, 31, of Knowehead Crescent, Kirriemuir, pleaded guilty on indictment to stalking his ex between October 2014 and May 2016.

He further admitted charges of assaulting her partner, behaving in a threatening and abusive manner and two charges of breaching bail conditions imposed on him.

Defence solicitor Grant Bruce urged the court not to imprison Milne.

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael imposed a community payback order with two years supervision.

He also placed Milne on a restriction of liberty order confining him to his home address from 7pm til 6.30am every day for three months on an electronic tag.